DO YOU KNOW...

Sore mouth diet

Radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and infection can cause mouth sores, tender gums, and a sore throat. The condition is called mucositis (mew koh SY tis). Any food that is tough to chew or swallow will make it harder for your child to eat. It might hurt to eat certain types of foods including those that have strong spices, those that are acidic, and those that are served very hot or very cold.

Foods that are easy to chew and swallow will make eating easier for your child. These ideas might help:

Cook foods until they are soft and tender.

Cut foods into small pieces.

Mix foods with sauces and gravies to make it easier for your child to swallow.

Use a blender to puree food (make creamy).

Use a straw to help with swallowing.

Try several small meals during the day.

"Do you know..." is an educational series for patients and their families.

Pineapple Whip with Almond or Coconut Milk

Ingredients

Instructions

Blend until combined, smooth, and slushy, like soft ice cream or sorbet.

Pour into dishes or glasses and serve. If you have extra, it can be frozen and served later.

What’s good about this recipe?

Honey helps the body’s infection-fighting system (immune system). It can also help symptoms of mucositis (mouth sores). Using full fat almond or coconut milk gives your child some healthy fat, which can help stop weight loss. The cold can feel good on mouth sores.

Honey Yogurt Smoothie with Fruit

Ingredients

1 cup of frozen fruit or berries, such as blueberries, strawberries, peaches, or pineapple

1/2 cup water

1/3 cup honey

1 ½ teaspoons vanilla

Ice cubes

Instructions

Put all the ingredients except ice cubes in a blender. Blend until smooth.

Add enough ice cubes to the mixture to make 4 ½ cups.

Blend again until the mixture is smooth. Serve right away.

What’s good about this recipe?

Honey and yogurt can help mucositis (mouth sores). The cold can also feel good when your child has mouth sores.

Vanilla or Chocolate Cream of Wheat®

Serves 2 or 3

Ingredients

1 cup water

1 cup half and half or cream

4 tablespoons of powdered hot chocolate mix

1 packet of Carnation® Breakfast Essentials ™ in French vanilla or chocolate flavor

2 tablespoons of sugar

4 drops vanilla extract

2 teaspoons of butter

1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed

6 tablespoons of Cream of Wheat®

Instructions

Mix all ingredients except Cream of Wheat in a medium-sized saucepan. Cook over medium heat until hot.

Stir in Cream of Wheat and reduce heat below medium. Stir constantly until the mixture thickens.

Pour into a wide soup bowl to cool slightly. Pour some extra cream over the top.

Stir cream into mixture completely. Serve right away.

What’s good about this recipe?

The wheat and flax contain zinc, which can help the body’s infection-fighting system (immune system). Zinc can also help with diarrhea. The flaxseed contains healthy fat, protein, and fiber.

Banana Pudding

Serves 8 to 10

Ingredients

5 ounce package instant vanilla pudding mix

2 cups whole milk

14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

12 ounce container whipped topping

14 mashed bananas

Instructions

In a large mixing bowl, beat pudding mix and milk for 2 minutes by hand or with a hand mixer.

Add sweetened condensed milk and beat the mixture until smooth.

Stir in vanilla, whipped topping, and bananas. Can be served right away or after it sets up in the refrigerator.

What’s good about this recipe?

This recipe contains potassium and fat to help your child’s digestion and add calories to the diet. The cold temperature can also feel good when your child has mouth sores.

Fruit Smoothie

Serves 2 to 4

Ingredients

2 cups spinach (cooked, drained, and cooled if on low bacteria diet)

1 cup whole milk (may need to add more depending on how thin you want the smoothie)

2 cups pineapple (fresh, frozen or canned)

4 bananas (peeling these and freezing them ahead of time makes the texture better)

1 cup protein powder

¼ cup ground flax

Shredded sweetened coconut to taste

Ice cubes

Instructions

Put spinach and whole milk in blender and blend together.

Add fresh fruit and frozen bananas. Blend again.

Add protein powder and ground flax, and blend until the mixture is well mixed.

Add shredded sweetened coconut to taste. Add ice until the smoothie is the texture and thickness your child likes.

You can split this recipe in half or use different fruit depending on what your child likes best. If your child is on a low bacteria diet, this smoothie must be drunk right away.

What’s good about this recipe?

Spinach and flax have zinc that can help the body’s infection-fighting system (immune system). Zinc can also help with diarrhea. Flax has healthy fat, protein, and fiber.

Pina Colada Protein Pop

Serves 2-4 depending upon the size of the treat molds

Ingredients

¼ cup pineapple

1 cup coconut milk

2 scoops protein powder

Half a banana

Instructions

Put all ingredients in blender. Blend until smooth, then pour mixture into freezer-treat molds and freeze.

What’s good about this recipe?

Coconut milk has fat to add calories to your child’s diet. Protein powder is a great way to increase protein in a form your child can drink, or lick while frozen. The cold can also feel good when your child has mouth sores.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Popsicles

Serves 4-6 depending on the size of treat mold

Ingredients

2 tablespoons peanut butter

2 cups whole milk

1 teaspoon cacao powder

Instructions

Put all ingredients in blender. Blend until smooth, then pour into freezer-treat molds and freeze.

What’s good about this recipe?

Whole milk has fat to add calories to your child’s diet. Peanut butter is a great way to increase protein in a form your child can drink, or lick while frozen. The cold can also feel good when your child has mouth sores.

This document is not intended to take the place of the care and attention of your personal physician or other professional medical services. Our aim is to promote active participation in your care and treatment by providing information and education. Questions about individual health concerns or specific treatment options should be discussed with your physician.

St. Jude complies with health care-related federal civil rights laws and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex.

ATTENTION: If you speak another language, assistance services, free of charge, are available to you. Call 1-866-278-5833 (TTY: 1-901-595-1040).